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George Zimmerman, charged in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, is building an online presence as his case moves toward trial.

His defense attorney, Mark O’Mara, launched a new website –gzlegalcase.com (http://gzlegalcase.com/) — that will seek donations for Zimmerman’s legal defense and “provide a voice” for the 28-year-old, who faces a second-degree murder charge in Martin’s death. O’Mara also created Facebook and Twitter accounts.

On Friday, O’Mara told the judge overseeing the case that a website for his client had drawn about $200,000 in donations from a previous site, which was shut down.

In a post on the new website, O’Mara explained his rationale for the social media this way:

    [W]e contend that social media in this day and age cannot be ignored. It is now a critical part of presidential politics, it has been part of revolutions in the Middle East, and it is going to be an unavoidable part of high-profile legal cases, just as traditional media has been and continues to be. We feel it would be irresponsible to ignore the robust online conversation, and we feel equally as strong about establishing a professional, responsible, and ethical approach to new media.